Home Literary Studies 15.3 The Silver Age: Nick Fury
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15.3 The Silver Age: Nick Fury

  • Matt Boyd Smith
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Handbook of Comics and Graphic Narratives
This chapter is in the book Handbook of Comics and Graphic Narratives

Abstract

Building on the work of various media scholars and cultural historians, this chapter argues that Fury’s place of centrality in the earliest stages of the Marvel Universe provides a unique lens through which to view the convergent threads of the American comic book industry, Marvel Comics, the transition from World War II to the Cold War, and the place of espionage in popular culture of the 1960s. This is due not only to his own transitional moment from Army sergeant during the war to super spy in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. - but also his status as a fulcrum within the Marvel Universe, bridging the sci-fi/fantasy worlds of superheroics with real-world geopolitics of the Cold War in ways that sync with popular media more broadly. Through a reading of this transitional moment for Fury and the Marvel Universe in Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, Strange Tales, and appearances alongside Captain America, this chapter serves as an example of how to read the textual elements of superhero comics in relation to multivalent histories and engage with scholarship both within and outside of comics studies.

Abstract

Building on the work of various media scholars and cultural historians, this chapter argues that Fury’s place of centrality in the earliest stages of the Marvel Universe provides a unique lens through which to view the convergent threads of the American comic book industry, Marvel Comics, the transition from World War II to the Cold War, and the place of espionage in popular culture of the 1960s. This is due not only to his own transitional moment from Army sergeant during the war to super spy in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. - but also his status as a fulcrum within the Marvel Universe, bridging the sci-fi/fantasy worlds of superheroics with real-world geopolitics of the Cold War in ways that sync with popular media more broadly. Through a reading of this transitional moment for Fury and the Marvel Universe in Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, Strange Tales, and appearances alongside Captain America, this chapter serves as an example of how to read the textual elements of superhero comics in relation to multivalent histories and engage with scholarship both within and outside of comics studies.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Editors’ Preface v
  3. Contents vii
  4. Comics Studies: Survey of the Field 1
  5. Part I: Systematic Aspects
  6. 1 Comics Terminology and Definitions 11
  7. 2 History, Formats, Genres 35
  8. 3 Text-Image Relations 81
  9. 4 Comics Narratology 99
  10. 5 Seriality 121
  11. 6 Adaptation 141
  12. Part II: Contexts and Themes
  13. 7 Politics 167
  14. 8 World-Building 181
  15. 9 Life Writing 201
  16. 10 Gender 219
  17. 11 Queerness 231
  18. 12 Science Comics 247
  19. 13 Postcolonial Perspectives 265
  20. 14 DocuComics in the Classroom 289
  21. 15 Superheroes
  22. 15.1 Historical Overview 311
  23. The Golden Age: Batman 317
  24. 15.3 The Silver Age: Nick Fury 331
  25. 15.4 The Dark Age: Superheroes in the 1980s 343
  26. Part III: Close Readings
  27. 16 Richard F. Outcault: The Yellow Kid 361
  28. 17 George Herriman: Krazy Kat 379
  29. 18 Winsor McCay: Little Nemo in Slumberland 387
  30. 19 Dave Sim: Cerebus 405
  31. 20 Will Eisner: A Contract with God 431
  32. 21 Raymond Briggs: When the Wind Blows 451
  33. 22 Art Spiegelman: Maus 467
  34. 23 Robert Crumb 481
  35. 24 Alan Moore: From Hell 499
  36. 25 Neil Gaiman: The Sandman 513
  37. 26 Alison Bechdel: Dykes to Watch Out For 529
  38. 27 Chris Ware: Jimmy Corrigan – The Smartest Kid on Earth 545
  39. 28 Daniel Clowes: Ghost World 561
  40. 29 Martin Rowson: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman 573
  41. 30 Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis 589
  42. 31 Grant Morrison: Flex Mentallo 601
  43. Index of Subjects 619
  44. Index of Names 629
  45. List of Contributors 635
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110446968-018

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Editors’ Preface v
  3. Contents vii
  4. Comics Studies: Survey of the Field 1
  5. Part I: Systematic Aspects
  6. 1 Comics Terminology and Definitions 11
  7. 2 History, Formats, Genres 35
  8. 3 Text-Image Relations 81
  9. 4 Comics Narratology 99
  10. 5 Seriality 121
  11. 6 Adaptation 141
  12. Part II: Contexts and Themes
  13. 7 Politics 167
  14. 8 World-Building 181
  15. 9 Life Writing 201
  16. 10 Gender 219
  17. 11 Queerness 231
  18. 12 Science Comics 247
  19. 13 Postcolonial Perspectives 265
  20. 14 DocuComics in the Classroom 289
  21. 15 Superheroes
  22. 15.1 Historical Overview 311
  23. The Golden Age: Batman 317
  24. 15.3 The Silver Age: Nick Fury 331
  25. 15.4 The Dark Age: Superheroes in the 1980s 343
  26. Part III: Close Readings
  27. 16 Richard F. Outcault: The Yellow Kid 361
  28. 17 George Herriman: Krazy Kat 379
  29. 18 Winsor McCay: Little Nemo in Slumberland 387
  30. 19 Dave Sim: Cerebus 405
  31. 20 Will Eisner: A Contract with God 431
  32. 21 Raymond Briggs: When the Wind Blows 451
  33. 22 Art Spiegelman: Maus 467
  34. 23 Robert Crumb 481
  35. 24 Alan Moore: From Hell 499
  36. 25 Neil Gaiman: The Sandman 513
  37. 26 Alison Bechdel: Dykes to Watch Out For 529
  38. 27 Chris Ware: Jimmy Corrigan – The Smartest Kid on Earth 545
  39. 28 Daniel Clowes: Ghost World 561
  40. 29 Martin Rowson: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman 573
  41. 30 Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis 589
  42. 31 Grant Morrison: Flex Mentallo 601
  43. Index of Subjects 619
  44. Index of Names 629
  45. List of Contributors 635
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